Energy

The energy sector is a large and all-encompassing domain that includes a complex and interrelated network of actors, directly and indirectly, involved in the production and distribution of energy used to power the economy and facilitate the means of production and transportation.

In a more technical term, energy is the capacity to do work. Energy is essential for most activities of modern society. Its use or consumption is generally taken as an index of standard of living. Energy in the form of firewood, fossil fuels and electricity are used to make life comfortable and convenient. At home or office buildings, electricity is used for lights and fans, computers, air-conditioners, water and room heaters, ovens, microwaves, washing machine etc. Petrol, diesel, CNG are used for cars, buses, autos etc. Large amount of energy is consumed in agriculture and industry. Fossil fuels are used to run buses, trucks, trains, aeroplanes, ships etc., leading transportation to be the primary user of the world’s petroleum and the second most polluting sector in the EU.

There are four end-use sectors that purchase or produce energy for their own consumption and not for resale:

  • The residential sector: homes and apartments.
  • The commercial sector: offices, malls, stores, schools, hospitals, hotels, warehouses, restaurants, and places of worship and public assembly.
  • The industrial sector: facilities and equipment used for manufacturing, agriculture, mining, and construction.
  • The transportation sector: vehicles that transport people or goods, such as cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, trains, aircraft, boats, barges, and ships.

The problem that dominates the public discussion around energy is climate change. A climate crisis jeopardizes the natural environment around us, our well-being today and the well-being of people in the future (in short-term and long-term). Bringing emissions down towards net-zero will be one of the world’s biggest challenges in the years to come.

Energy in the EU

Climate change and environmental degradation are an existential threat to Europe and the world. To overcome these challenges, the European Green Deal will transform the EU into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy, ensuring:

  • no net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050
  • economic growth decoupled from resource use
  • no person and no place left behind.

The European Commission adopted a set of proposals to make the EU’s climate, energy, transport and taxation policies fit for reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.

The European Green Deal will improve the well-being and health of citizens and future generations by providing:

  •  fresh air, clean water, healthy soil and biodiversity;
  • renovated, energy efficient buildings;
  • healthy and affordable food;
  • more Public Transport;
  • cleaner energy and cutting-edge clean technological innovation;
  • longer lasting products that can be repaired, recycled and re-used;
  • future-proof jobs and skills training for the transition;
  • globally competitive and resilient industry.

Sustainable energy

Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Sustainable energy includes any clean and renewable energy source that cannot be depleted, does not need to be renewed or replenished, can remain viable forever and is inexhaustible. Several forms of energy can be considered sustainable: wind, solar, and water, but also bioenergy and geothermal energy. Sustainable energy doesn’t harm the environment (or at most, there is a minimal risk) or increase climate change. On the contrary, fossil fuels (e.g., coal, natural gas and oil) are harmful to the planet when burned daily for energy, and they are also unsustainable as finite resources. Thus, the transition to sustainable energy is necessary. Energy sustainability can also be achieved through improved energy conservation and efficiency.

AETHON can provide cutting edge services towards the adoption of sustainable practices, technologies and processes, from energy production to energy use and management, that benefit both companies and the environment.

Transitioning to Electrification

Sustainability is essential for the transport and logistics industry. Even though vehicles are more energy efficient today, volume continues to grow unabated, and the industry is making slow progress. Thus, a massive reduction is needed to achieve the agreed climate targets.

Speeding up the deployment of low-emission alternative energy for transport, such as advanced biofuels, electricity, hydrogen and renewable synthetic fuels and removing obstacles to the electrification of transport is one of three EU priority areas for action.

Electrification refers to the process of replacing technologies that use fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) with technologies that use electricity as a source of energy. Depending on the resources used to generate electricity, electrification can potentially reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the transportation, building, and industrial sectors. Addressing emissions from these sectors is critical to decarbonizing the economy and, ultimately, mitigating the impacts of climate change.

Electrification refers to the process of replacing technologies that use fossil fuels with technologies that use electricity as a source of energy.

Today, there is growing will for the electrification of the transport sector, as it accounts for 25% of EU emissions. Concerned with the growing CO2 emissions and pollutants, and their adverse effect on global warming and public health, governments around the globe consider the electrification of transport as a solution.

AETHON’s deep knowledge of the latest technologies can ensure the provision of advanced solutions towards the electrification in transportation and logistics. The strong point of the abovementioned solutions is their innovative and progressing character, meaning that AETHON’s engineers move beyond the state-of-play, anticipate the upcoming needs and develop methods to tackle the future challenges.